Keep up the sharing space dialogues you blowhards - so far you've gotten us to No. 1
WE'RE NUMBER ONE!
WE'RE NUMBER ONE!

"If only as much energy had been invested by those pushing for the sit/lie ordinance over the last three years in solving the root causes of homelessness"

The most direct way is to improve the economy, so there is more money flowing to people to either a) not be homeless, or b) give more to homeless causes. But who locally would be engaged in trying to keep the economy as healthy as possible? Who would be looking out for the needs of business?

Oh yeah, the Portland Business Alliance.

I've been to a few of these pep rallys for SAFE/CLEAN and the Portland Business Alliance. Amanda Fritz is a big phony - pretending to care about poor and homeless people while scratching the backs of the business alliance. Which is fine -- that's what politicians usually do - staying in good with the big money. We just wish she'd stop with the PRETENDING to be concerned for the poor part It's disgusting and gives poor people a false sense of security.

I am all for the Sit/Lie rule. "Solving" homelessness is impossible. Let me explain why. If you walk around downtown, the majority of the homeless are mobile, traveling people. They came HERE from somewhere else. So providing more services to the homeless without creating laws to discourage vagrancy will just make Portland even more attractive as a destination... so we will continue to be harassed on our way to lunch, we will walk to work past bus shelters splattered with feces and urine until we do something about it.

I favor a law would apply to people who block the sidewalks and harass their fellow human beings. There are plenty of other places to sit other than sidewalks. Furthermore, we ought to use words other than "homeless" to describe the transients (or travellers), the addicted, and the mentally ill who confront those of us attempting to go about our daily lives in the downtown area. I'm all for increased resources and social services. I will gladly support organizations that serve both the homeless and the groups identified above; however, I would insist that those organizations discourage their clients from panhandling, sitting on sidewalks, and creating the gauntlets that occur in front of Riteaid, Safeway, and other businesses. When that fails, the police should have the tools necessary to move folks along.